A deeper, less flamboyant work still showcases the creativity you've come to love from the Wild Beasts
Hailing from Cumbria, Wild Beasts have built a reputation as one of the most exciting bands to come through in the last few years. Their first two studio albums were oozing in quirkiness and personality, with two lead singers whose voices contrasted beautifully and poetic, sexually charged lyrics.
But the way the band deal with sexual themes has changed on their latest album, Smother. Boasts of casual sex with girls from places as exotic as Hounslow and Whitby have been replaced with a more measured, mature consideration of desire. Take opening track, “Lion’s Share”; Hayden Thorpe as a lover trying to justify taking more than he gives. And then there’s the excellent “Plaything” in which among Thorpe’s delightful rhymes (“New squeeze, take off your chemise/And I’ll do as I please”) is a contemplation of whether the pain that he gives out to another is fair.
The more introspective nature of the lyrics on here is matched by the slow pace of the songs, particularly tracks such as “Plaything” and “Deeper” (the first instance of Tom Fleming singing on the album). There are some moments where the tempo is increased, such as second track “Bed Of Nails”, but Thorpe uses these points to express passion rather than playfulness (“I would lie anywhere with you/Any old bed of nails will do”). Lead single “Albatross” is perhaps the most sombre piece on the record, with an allusion to the luck an albatross can bring or take from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.
The interplay between the two singers is terrific. There a number of times in the album when a song is lit up by Thorpe’s jaunty delivery followed by another song featuring Fleming’s strong yet tender voice; often abstract offerings such as the emotional “Burning”, a track which compares to “Two Dancers II” from their previous album in terms of emotion and atmosphere. One of the highlights of the album has to be “Reach A Bit Further”; both vocalists combine, almost sounding like lovers urging each other on.
Despite the air of maturity over Wild Beasts’ latest offering, their sense of playfulness still comes out in restrained ways. “Loop The Loop” is their customary ode to promiscuity, though with a sense of regret emerging; maybe something gained from becoming famous and moving to London? Meanwhile, final track “End Come Too Soon” is a thinly-veiled lament over premature ejaculation, but still manages to identify with the passion of the night rather than being tongue-in-cheek.
Wild Beasts deserve praise for taking a bold move not only with the lyrical content of their new album, but also the sound of it. The tender mood is created by more minimal arrangements, and guitars are less present than they were on Two Dancers. Instead there is more of a reliance of keys and synthesisers. The delightful pulsing on “Lion’s Share” springs to mind, as does the atmospheric synths on “End Come Too Soon” kicking in as a crashing drum precedes Thorpe’s echoing cries – a beautiful finish to the album which may well make you think it comes too soon.
Smother is a great achievement for a band who have found popularity but seem to be in no hurry to make their music sound more accessible. In fact, the atmospheric Two Dancers was probably more of a draw to the indie crowd, with its memorable riffs and almost anthemic singles. Their newest work is a deeper, more pensive sort of creature, and deserves to win the upcoming Mercury Prize as much as anything released I’ve heard this year.
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